1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a rotary guide device, more specifically to a plurality of rotating spindles disposed adjacent the entrance to a plurality of channels defined by guide plates located along essentially parallel lines and positioned above a moving conveyor belt to assist in directing articles on said conveyor belt into said channels.
2. Prior Art
The problem of aligning a plurality of articles on a moving conveyor belt is generally accomplished by providing a plurality of guide plates which are suspended above the conveyor belt and which are spaced apart to define a plurality of channels. Such an arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,753,037 to Davis. However, there is nothing in Davis to prevent the jamming of bottles at the entrance to the individual channels defined between the guide plates 36.
A similar arrangement is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 2,187,842 granted to Rheinstrom wherein alternating guide plates are of different lengths in an effort to prevent jamming of the articles at the entrance to the channels defined by the guide plates. While such an arrangement reduces the chances of jamming, it is still possible for the articles to become jammed at the entrances to the various channels.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,791,315 granted to Chapman and U.S. Pat. No. 2,861,670 granted to Read et al. attempt to avoid jamming of the articles at the entrance to the channels by oscillating at least a portion of the channel. In Chapman all of the parallel guide plates are oscillated transversely of their length so that the entrances to the channels will move into alignment with the articles which are bunched together adjacent the entrances to the channels. Read et al on the other hand oscillates a plurality of elongated fingers in the plane of each guide plate adjacent the entrance to each channel defined between the guide plates in an attempt to prevent jamming of the articles at the entrance to the channels.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,789 granted to Kurczak is directed to a case sorting apparatus having hydraulically shiftable guide plates for diverting a single article along one of two possible paths. A central guide between the two paths is also oscillatable to assist in guiding the case and an idler roller is freely journaled at the lead end of the guide. The roller, however, merely acts as a passive guide since only one article is being sorted at a time so that a jamming of a plurality of articles does not occur.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,656,910 granted to Kraus et al is directed to a conveyor arrangement for diverting a plurality of cans on a central conveyor into two rows on a pair of outside conveyors. The plurality of guide belts are driven over pulleys arranged in a triangular pattern with the apex of the triangle being located centrally of the central conveyor. The belts along two opposite sides of the triangle are driven in opposite directions so as to guide the cans from the central conveyor to the outside conveyors. Such an arrangement however, is basically a simple diverting arrangement and will not prevent jamming if a large number of articles are supplied on the central conveyor simultaneously.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,877,883 granted to Lanham is directed to a bread handling apparatus comprising a system of conveyors having three units which receive the loaves in parallel side-by-side arrangement and rearranges them into two single columns of spaced loaves arranged lengthwise. Two pairs of loaves of bread disposed parallel to each other are diverted in opposite directions by two rotating spindles. The outermost loaf of each pair will then be disposed on a fast conveyor and the two adjacent loaves of each pair will be located in a slower conveyor. After a distance sufficient for the faster moving loaves to pass the slower moving loaves the two slower moving loaves will be diverted by means of two rotating spindles or discs onto the fast conveyor. Thus, the rotating spindles are for the sole purpose of shifting the loaves laterally from one conveyor to another. There are no guide plates against which the articles would jam.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,232,411 granted to Kulig is directed to a container handling apparatus comprising a conveyor belt leadiing to a rotating transfer disc across which a plurality of roughly aligned container units pass through one or two guide channels to be deposited in more precise alignment onto a second belt advancing in a different direction than the first belt. The guide channels are formed by one or more guide rails running continuously from the first belt across the disc onto the second belt. A pair of rotatable guide rollers, depicted in the drawing of Kulig along a line normal to the first conveyor belt, aid in driving the container into one or two guide channels and bumping others onto a return belt.